In co-pending application, Ser. No. 336,378, filed Apr. 11, 1989, assigned to the same assignee as the present invention, there is fully disclosed an automatic method and apparatus for manufacturing cosmetic tubular articles such as pomades and lipsticks. During the various stages of the manufacturing process, as disclosed in this application, individual pomades or lipsticks are transported in either molds carried in corresponding support units or workpiece holders both of which, in turn, are moved continuously from one station to another via conveyer belts or similar transporting means. As further disclosed in application Ser. No. 336,378, a line of mold support units carrying molded pomades or lipsticks and a line of empty workpiece holders are fed separately into an "extractor" wherein the pomades or lipsticks carried by the mold support units automatically are transferred to corresponding workpiece holders. After exiting the extractor, the empty mold support units are recycled; that is, they are returned to a first station where new, empty lipstick tubes are inserted into the molds on the mold support units, then moved to a second or "hot pour" station where a charge of molten pomade is poured into each mold and the lipstick tube therein, and then finally, conveyed back to the extractor for transfer to a corresponding workpiece holder. Likewise, the workpiece holders exiting the extractor with the lipsticks therein are recycled by being conveyed first to a variety of finishing stations, then to a packing station where the finished lipsticks are removed from their workpiece holders and placed in suitable packaging. The empty workpiece holders then are conveyed back to the extractor to pick up new pomades or lipsticks.
As a result of this recycling process, the mold support units and workpiece holders gradually become caked with pomade material and other debris and periodically must be removed from the automatic lipstick manufacturing line for cleaning and refurbishment. Heretofore, such cleaning was accomplished by hand utilizing hot water, a suitable detergent and vigorous manual brushing (i.e. elbow grease). This prior hand process not only was time consuming and therefor expensive, but frequently failed to adequately remove all of the "caked" pomade material from a particular mold or mold support unit especially where so-called "split mold" units were involved.
Against this background, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide a means and method for effectively and efficiently cleaning a multiplicity of mold support units or workpiece holders which latter are utilized in the manufacture of pomade or lipsticks. It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for effectively and efficiently cleaning such mold support units particularly if they are of the "split mold" variety.